Resilience by Nicole
Resilience (noun):
The capacity to withstand or quickly recover from difficulties; the inner strength that helps us keep going even when life gets painful or unpredictable.
This month the theme feels especially personal. I’m currently dealing with a broken foot and it’s taking a lot longer to heal than I expected. Being forced to slow down has brought up a rollercoaster of emotions… frustration, sadness, anxiety, fear. Things I honestly didn’t think a broken bone could stir up so strongly.
I’m someone who’s always on the move either creating, mothering, helping, building. Life doesn’t really offer a pause button, especially when you have kids who still need breakfast made and hugs and rides and attention. So suddenly not being able to do what I’m used to doing? It has left me feeling stuck, and a bit lost at times.
And I’ve had to really look within myself to figure out how to not let this derail me. Because the truth is, being resilient isn’t always pretty or heroic. Sometimes it’s messy. Sometimes it’s waking up in a bad mood and doing your best anyway. Sometimes it’s letting yourself feel everything but not letting those feelings take you out.
When I feel myself getting close to that edge, the place where hopelessness tries to creep in, I remind myself of my why.
I recently came across a story about Viktor Frankl, a psychologist who was in a concentration camp during World War II. He noticed that people didn’t lose their lives there simply because of starvation or the terrible conditions, what truly broke them was losing hope. They no longer had a reason to keep going.
That made me stop and think.
Because even with a broken foot… I still have a very clear reason to keep going.
I have three beautiful children who depend on me.
I have work I still want to do in this world.
I have people I want to help and love.
I have healing ahead of me and joy and a big beautiful life to live.
A broken bone doesn’t change that.
It might slow me down, but it won’t stop me.
And the same is true for you. Whatever you’re going through, whether it’s physical pain, emotional pain, a setback, a major life change , you’re allowed to struggle with it. You’re allowed to feel overwhelmed. But those hard moments don’t get to define you.
Resilience is just deciding, again and again, that life is still worth showing up for.
Practices to Cultivate Resilience
1- Stay connected to your why
Who or what keeps you going? Write it down. Remind yourself often.
2- Feel your feelings
Resilience isn’t pretending you’re fine. It’s acknowledging the hard stuff and moving forward anyway.
3- Focus on small steps
When a big leap isn’t possible, take a tiny step. Small wins add up.
4- Lean on others
Let people love you. Ask for help. We heal better in community.
5- Recognize your progress
Every day you choose to keep living your life is resilience in real time.
If you’re facing your own version of a broken foot right now, something that’s slowing you down or making life feel harder than it should, please know you’re not alone. You are doing better than you think, and you are stronger than you feel on the hard days.
We keep learning.
We keep adjusting.
We keep going.
One breath, one step (or crutch), one day at a time. |
